How Is Foreign Skilled Work Experience Counted Within the Last 10 Years For Express Entry?

[dayanath23]

Hi everyone,

I need clarification on how to answer the following Express Entry CRS question:

“In the last 10 years, how many total years of foreign skilled work experience do you have? It must have been paid, full-time (or an equal amount in part-time), and in only one occupation (NOC TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3).”

My circumstances are as follows:

• I worked in Sri Lanka in a skilled occupation (Software Engineer) for more than 1 year (Mar 2016 - July 2017).
• I resigned from that job in July 2017.
• I worked 45 hours per week, and I can provide evidence of my working hours.
• Today’s date for this calculation is October 17, 2026.
• The two options I’m considering are “None or less than 1 year” and “1 year or more.”

Based on the 10-year period, only the portion of my employment from October 17, 2016, until my resignation in July 2017 falls within the relevant period.

My question: For Express Entry CRS purposes, should I select “None or less than 1 year” because less than 12 calendar months of my employment fall within the last 10 years? Or is there any provision under IRCC rules that would allow me to claim “1 year or more” based on my total qualifying work experience or the fact that I worked 45 hours per week?

I would really appreciate any clarification or references to official IRCC guidance, as this is very important for my PR application. Being able to claim one year of foreign skilled work experience could give me an additional 50 CRS points and significantly affect my chances of receiving an invitation to apply

Thank you!

 

[Naturgrl]

So it is any experience from October 17, 2016 so you need a year of experience since then. If not, none or less than a year.

 

[CanGoldDigger]

Unfortunately and definitely, it's None or less than 1 year, 45 hours a week don't help here.